Thursday, September 16, 2010

Turning Up the Ambiance

We love our basement. It's very functional - it has a 2nd bathroom, guest room, a large lounge area, plus a storage room and laundry room. However, ever since we remodeled the space we hadn't given much thought to decorating it until recently, and even after creating a little nook area the space was still lacking something.


What's the first thing that pops into my head when I hear that word? Candles. I LOVE candles.

And what did I find hidden in the guest room closet when I was cleaning last weekend? Candle SCONCES, forgotten and covered in dust.

It's like they were meant to be down here all along.

While they're a bit of pain to light once the wicks are burned down this far (causing me to have to snag a nearby step-stool we store in our laundry area to light them), once they're lit and burning the warm glow and flickering light of the candles adds a much-needed element of cozy ambiance to the space. The new sconces also provides just enough of a soft glow for great TV-watching and conversation (not too bright, not too dim - I'm totally one of those people that can't watch a TV screen in the dark).

All in all? We are 100% satisfied with the new small addition to our decor and lighting down in the basement. The best part? The sconces were on clearance to begin with (my guess is $10, but it's been awhile...) and since I completely forgot about them, they pretty much feel like they were free. We also had the candles on hand. So we figure it's not too bad for a fun little upgrade and adding some ambiance to our basement area.

Have you added any cheap finds or forgotten-about decor to your abode lately? Are you a fan of sconces too? How do you like to watch your TV - with all the lights off, all the lights on, or somewhere in between (like us)?



  1. Score!!! Great "find"! I have never thought about how I like to watch TV. I think I'm like you - not too bright, not too dark. I'll have to test it out this next week. :)

  2. Just that little change made that wall a lot warmer, Chelsea. I like how understated they are.

    We light candles like crazy here, and just for safety sake, I have rechargeable battery powered ones on our sconces, and I've been considering remote control ones for hard to reach spots (how high is my score on the lazy scale now?)

  3. They look like they were meant to be!! It's amazing something so little, can really make a huge difference! Like Sunny, I use battery operated candles (I love the ones w/ timers the best for total laziness!!) You might be able to stick those dollar store battery operated tea lights down in the candles, I do that sometimes too.



Related Posts with Thumbnails